1996 AGN OCT I19 - Laserfiche WebLink

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AGENDA REPORT CITY OF COLTON For City Council Meeting of October 15, 1996 October 9, 1996 TO: MAYOR FULP, CITY COUNCIL AND CITY MANAGER FROM: Julie Hayward Biggs, City Atto 'ey SUBJECT: Closed Session Procedures Ordinan Amendment It has been called to my attention that the ordinance adopted by the City Council relating to closed session procedures did not include closed session meetings of City committees and commissions. While City committees and commissions seldom meet in closed session, on occasion it is necessary to move an item of potential litigation into closed session to protect the City's position should litigation result, or for other reasons as permitted under the provisions of the Ralph M. Brown Act (Government Code Section 54950 et sec .). Because matters considered in closed session are of significant importance to the City, and because the ultimate decision with regard to release of confidential information discussed in any closed session must rest with the City Council or the Redevelopment Agency as the ultimate policy makers in the City, the ordinance has been revised. The amended ordinance will subject all City committees and commissions that are subject to the provisions of the Brown Act to the same standard of confidentiality, and the same penalty provisions that apply to the City Council and the Redevelopment Agency under the previously adopted ordinance. One important factor to be considered, however, is that with committees and commissions, the matters discussed in closed session may not be released to the public on a majority vote of that committee or commission. Instead, only the City Council or the Redevelopment Agency retains the authority to release confidential information discussed in committee or commission closed sessions to the public. I strongly recommend that the City Council adopt this ordinance to assure that the confidentiality requirements that the City Council has established for its own operations applies to committees and commissions as well. Concurrence: WAQR. P Malik Dantala Freeman, City Manager Item 19